Did anyone else see the Boston Bruins draft a 5-foot-10 Swedish winger and wonder if this is only going to end up with the same fate as Fabian Lysell? The hope is that the front office has learned from those past mistakes and has a better outcome planned for Nils Bartholdsson. With Kevyn Adams now reportedly in the building to help with development, there is hope that things could change.
The Bruins got a steal of a pick here if you read most public scouting services. Elite Prospects gave him a 152 ranking, but other reliable sources, such as Jason Bukala (44), Craig Button (64), and Tony Ferrari (65), ranked him much higher.
Nils Bartholdsson (Rogle U20) is ranked entirely too low for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft and I am saying this now because I bet I can QT this in a few months with him having jumped 15-20 spots. If not, someone is getting a gem in the second round. pic.twitter.com/0SKTGyEcLe
— Jesse Marshall (@jmarshfof) October 10, 2025
Bartholdsson has been producing at a high rate for two seasons in Sweden's U20 league, including 42 points in 32 games this past season, and led his team with 17 points in nine playoff games. The winger managed to get five games of SHL experience thanks to his offensive breakout, but showed he still has some work to do against bigger and more experienced competition with an unproductive showing.
If Bartholdsson were a bit bigger, he would've gone much higher in this draft. However, he doesn't have the skating acumen of more diminutive players who break through despite their size. There are some concerns about his game translating to the pro level because of those deficiencies, but there is no reason to believe that with some added weight and work on his skating, he can't challenge for an NHL spot one day.
"“Really competitive kid, plays a gritty type of game. Good at carrying pucks through the neutral zone, likes to get pucks on net. Not shy about shooting, not shy about competing on pucks. Just a player type that we value. We are happy to be able to take that pick where we did.” "Ryan Nadeau
It'll be interesting to see where this goes for Bartholdsson. Lysell coming to North America might've stunted his development, so will the Bruins take a different approach and let the Swedish winger develop at home before bringing him over when he is more ready?
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